A couple of weeks ago, an incredible cohort of women finished my signature 90-day program, Radical Health Accelerator.
Taking women over 50 through this program is often as enlightening for me as it is for them.
No two groups are ever the same. Each has its own personality, similarities and differences which makes every program experience unique, fun and full of happy, high-five âa-haâ moments.
In this most recent group, many women were intimidated by tofu – and overcame it!
In case youâre not exactly sure what to do with the white jiggly stuff, Iâm dedicating this post to helping you out.
Did you know tofu has been eaten by humans for over 2,000 years?
If you need to learn why you should be including soy in your diet and not avoiding it (despite confusing and misleading headlines from the past), I recently led a 45-minute training on this topic. Feel free to email me to ask me for the recording and Iâll send it to you.
Tofu has a mild flavor, meaning it’s perfect for soaking up marinades and sauces. Itâs available in different textures â silken, soft, firm, and extra firm â which make it versatile in recipes and cooking techniques.
Tofu is made up of three ingredients: soybeans, water, and a coagulantâusually nigari (magnesium chloride) or gypsum (calcium sulfate).
Soy milk, prepared with soybeans and water, is the precursor to tofu the way animal milk is the precursor to cheese. A coagulant is added to soy milk to create curds and whey, similar to the way cheese is made.
The difference between the varying textures of tofu is how much watery liquid (or whey) is pressed out. The more water, the more jiggly.
Silken tofu is rich and creamy, which often makes it the perfect ingredient in creating vegan mayonnaises and dairy-free cheesecakes. It can also be blended for dips, sauces and smoothies. Itâs so delicate you canât pick it up with your hands.
Soft tofu is more rigid than silken tofu, but it is still very tender (which means it has less liquid than silken tofu). Itâs the tofu floating in your miso soup. Soft tofu is great for salads and pizza (like a substitute for feta or mozzarella), or a soft tofu scramble or omelet (with a similar consistency to eggs).
Firm tofu is ideal for pan frying, baking, braising, and making tofu steaks. Itâs what I use 90% of the time. It holds its shape nicely, yet it can still absorb lots of flavors and marinades.
Because tofu is pretty neutral in terms of flavor, itâs easy to be creative when using it to replace other types of proteins. When you buy firm tofu, the first thing you usually need to do in your kitchen will be to press the remaining liquid out with a clean dish towel.
Extra firm tofu has the least liquid. This is the most compact and dense of the tofus. The curds are tight, and the block is noticeably firmer than all others. Its texture has the most chew, making this tofu best suited to heartier dishes. You donât need to press any liquid out of this tofu.
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I have three tofu recipes to get you started on your tofu cooking adventure.
There are 50 bazillion tofu recipes on the internet so feel free to hop online and search away for any additional recipes youâd like to try.
You could search for something like: “Easy tofu stir fry” and youâd have plenty of recipes to choose from.
Below youâll find 1 silken tofu recipe, 1 firm tofu recipe and 1 extra firm tofu recipe.
Pressing firm tofu is important if you want it to have a crispy texture.
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Hereâs how to press firm tofu:
Once you have opened and drained the tofu, wrap the drained tofu in a clean, absorbent towel and set something heavy on top (like a cast iron skillet or a pile of books). Let it press for about 10-30 minutes.
You are looking for the tofu to feel more firm and less moist, but it wonât be completely dry.
If you know youâll be in a time crunch, you can press your tofu in the refrigerator overnight and keep it covered in the fridge to save time.
There is a gadget you can purchase for this purpose called a Tofu Press. I donât have one. I do the above.
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When you start experimenting with cooking tofu, if it is new to you, please be patient.
I get that cooking chicken seems easy but, I promise, the first time you ever did it, you werenât sure if you were doing it right.
When we learn new things, weâll experience a learning curve and once weâre past it, youâll have a new skill and hundreds of new delicious recipes to add to your diet and enjoy!
And, when we learn new things, we’re re-wiring the brain which is excellent for our brain health!
Now for the recipes:
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High Protein Tofu Smoothie (Serves 2)
Ingredients:
1½ cup plant-based milk of choice
2 cups frozen fruit of choice
1 sliced, frozen banana
11 oz silken tofu
1 tbsp maple syrup (optional)
Instructions:
In a high-powered blender, combine all of the ingredients. Blend until creamy. Add more milk if you want a thinner consistency.
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Tofu to Add to Any Dish (2 entrĂŠe servings)Â Â Â
Ingredients:
14-16 ounces firm tofu
1 healthy pinch sea salt
1 tsp desired seasoning (such as curry powder, chili powder, Italian seasoning, BBQ seasoning, etc.)
1 Tbsp coconut, avocado or grape seed oil
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Drain and wrap your firm tofu in an absorbent towel. Set something heavy on top – like a cast iron skillet – to press out extra moisture for at least 20 minutes.
Unwrap tofu and cut into ½-inch cubes, then add to a medium mixing bowl and season with a pinch of salt and desired seasoning, which will vary depending on your dish. Or simply season with salt and skip the extra seasoning.
Heat a large oven-safe metal or cast iron skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the oil and the seasoned tofu. SautĂŠ for 5 minutes, shaking/flipping occasionally to cook on all sides, until tofu has a slight crust on each side and has begun to brown.
Transfer skillet to oven to bake for about 15 minutes, or until the tofu is firm to the touch and has begun to dry out and crisp up. The longer it bakes, the firmer it gets. I usually find the 15-minute mark to be about right.
Now you have crispy tofu to add to virtually any dish youâd like! (I love to put mine on salads.)
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Summertime Grilled Tofu Skewers (Serves 4. 10-inch skewers.)
Ingredients:
1/3 cup soy sauce or tamari
1/4 cup coconut sugar (or sub brown sugar)
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 ½ tsp rice vinegar
3/4 tsp toasted sesame oil
1/2 tsp arrowroot powder
1 (14-oz.) package extra-firm tofu, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 medium red onion, sliced into 1-inch chunks
Avocado oil (for greasing grill)
Skewers
Instructions:
In a wide, shallow bowl or glass container, whisk together soy sauce or tamari, coconut sugar, garlic powder, rice vinegar, and sesame oil.
Remove about 1/3 of the marinade and reserve for making glaze.
Add the cubed tofu to the dish with the marinade, stir to coat well, cover, and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to marinate.
While the tofu is marinating, whisk together the arrowroot and a splash of water in a small saucepan, then add the reserved marinade.
Bring to a simmer, whisking frequently until thickened to a glossy glaze â about 2-3 minutes. If it thickens too much, add a little water to thin. If itâs too thin, whisk more arrowroot with water, then add to the saucepan and cook to thicken.
Once the tofu has finished marinating, lightly oil a grill pan or grill grate and preheat to medium-high. Thread cubed tofu and red onion onto skewers, alternating with 1 piece of red onion in between each tofu cube and ending with a piece of red onion. There should be ~8 tofu cubes per skewer.
Next, grill! Make sure as many tofu cubes as possible are making contact with the pan, and turn every 3-4 minutes, until browned and beginning to char in spots â about 10-15 minutes.
Transfer to a serving plate and brush the reserved glaze over the tofu. These skewers are delicious served with rice and steamed broccoli.
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